Many women are dissatisfied with their bodies—and poor body image can impair one’s health, relationships, and sex life.
Seeking solutions, a study published in The Journal of Sex Research examined whether affectionate touch from a partner can improve self-perception. The findings reveal how simple acts like hugging or hand holding can be game changers, positively influencing women’s lives in various domains.
Method
To investigate the power of affectionate touch, researchers studied 1,156 US-based women in long-term relationships.
These participants were asked how often they engaged in hand holding, caressing, massaging, cuddling, spooning, and kissing with partners. They also rated their levels of satisfaction with their bodies, relationships, and sex lives.
Their ages ranged from 18 to 72, with an average age of 43. The majority identified as heterosexual (83%). All were in committed relationships: 75% married, 15% in a serious relationship but not engaged, and 10% engaged. More than three-quarters (77%) reported having at least one child.
In this sample, researchers explored whether more frequent affectionate touch led to higher relationship, body, and sexual satisfaction. They also examined whether it made women feel better about their bodies, and whether this, in turn, resulted in happier relationships and better sexual experiences.
Findings on affectionate touch
Affectionate touch enhances women’s satisfaction with their relationships, body image, and sex lives.
The more often women received it, the higher their reported levels of satisfaction in these areas, regardless of sexual orientation or parental status.
In addition, women who were more satisfied with their bodies tended to also feel more satisfied with their relationships and sex lives. Affectionate touch played a role since acts, such as cuddling, kissing, and hand holding, helped improve women’s body image.
Previous studies show that affectionate touch improves relationship quality. However, this study suggests it also serves as a form of communication about one’s body.
The authors wrote, “recipients of affectionate touch may understand affectionate touch as a message of encouragement or positivity about their body, in part because the affection was placed there.”
Even after accounting for body satisfaction, the frequency of affectionate touch remained a strong predictor of both women’s relationship and sexual satisfaction. While feeling good about one’s body contributes to higher satisfaction scores, other factors are likely also at play.
Touch as a pathway to wellbeing
Cuddles and kisses can play significant roles in women’s lives.
Along with other forms of affection touch, they were linked to enhanced body, relationship, and sexual satisfaction. Women with higher body satisfaction also reported greater relationship and sexual satisfaction. This suggests that affectionate touch strengthens relationships by boosting self-image.
“[A]ffectionate touch does more than satiate heterosexual women’s direct sexual and romantic relationship-based needs,” said study lead Jessica T. Campbell, PhD, of The Kinsey Institute.
“While more research needs to be conducted, it suggests that the power of consensual touch from those closest to us may be especially beneficial in our perception of self.”
Given the widespread issue of body dissatisfaction, further studies on affectionate touch could have profound implications for therapy. Improving self-image through touch might also enhance overall mental well-being, a topic warranting future research.
In essence, acts such as caressing and hand holding are about more than physical contact. They could be powerful tools for enhancing women’s wellbeing.
Featured Image Source: iStock
